Tony Blair’s wife is Cherie Blair, the British barrister also known professionally as Cherie Booth. They married in March 1980 and have four children. Alongside her years as the prime minister’s spouse, Cherie has maintained a separate legal career and founded an organisation supporting women entrepreneurs.
Who Is Cherie Blair?
Cherie is a King’s Counsel and an international lawyer. Her professional identity was established before Tony became prime minister.
She studied law at the London School of Economics and graduated with first-class honours. Her training led to practice at the Bar, where she developed an interest in rights, employment and discrimination issues.
Her official biography describes a continuing commitment to women’s equality. That work has included speaking internationally and supporting opportunities for women to build economic independence.
Being married to a former prime minister is one part of her public identity. Her qualifications, legal practice and charitable organisation explain why she is also known independently.
How They Met
Tony and Cherie met during their legal training. Both were working towards careers as barristers before politics became the dominant part of Tony’s working life.
Their relationship began within the legal profession. It did not originate after he became a national political leader.
That shared starting point is relevant because Cherie continued practising law while her husband moved through Parliament and into government. The couple’s careers developed in different directions from a similar professional foundation.
Profiles of their early years describe two young lawyers managing ambitions and family responsibilities. The later move to Downing Street brought public attention on a very different scale.
Their 1980 Marriage
Tony Blair and Cherie Booth married on March 29, 1980. The marriage preceded his election to Parliament and his leadership of the Labour Party.
The date means that their partnership was already well established before the 1997 general election. Their years in government were one period within a much longer marriage.
In 2026, the couple reached 46 years of marriage. The basic timeline remains consistent across official biographies and established profiles.
Cherie is sometimes identified as Lady Blair, while professional references often use Cherie Booth or Cherie Blair. These are different forms used for the same person, rather than different spouses.
Their Four Children
The couple’s children are Euan, Nicholas, Kathryn and Leo. Nicholas is also frequently referred to as Nicky.
The three older children were already part of the family when Tony entered Downing Street. Leo was born during his premiership.
Family life therefore developed while the couple were managing unusually public responsibilities. Cherie was combining parenting, legal work and appearances connected with her husband’s office.
The children’s adult careers are separate from the question of who Tony’s wife is. Their names establish the family structure without requiring speculation about private family arrangements.
Her Legal Career
Cherie became a Queen’s Counsel in 1995. The designation is now King’s Counsel following the change of monarch.
She was a founding member of Matrix Chambers in 2000. That milestone occurred during the period when her husband was serving as prime minister.
Her later work includes founding and chairing Omnia Strategy. Its published profile describes international arbitration and strategic legal advisory work among her areas of practice.
These roles demonstrate continuity in her professional life. She did not cease being a lawyer when she became the prime minister’s spouse, nor does that former role explain every part of her later work.
Her Foundation
She established the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in 2008. The organisation supports women entrepreneurs, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Its programmes address practical barriers to starting and developing businesses. Mentoring, knowledge and access to support are central parts of that work.
In September 2025, Reuters reported a goal of expanding the foundation’s reach to one million women by 2030. That target is a future ambition, rather than a claim that it has already been achieved.
The development provides a recent perspective on Cherie’s public activity beyond the years in Downing Street. Her current identity remains closely connected with law and women’s economic opportunities.
Cherie was awarded a CBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to women’s issues and charities in Britain and overseas, recognising work that continued after her husband left government.
Life After Government
Tony served as prime minister from 1997 to 2007. After leaving office, he continued working internationally and established the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
Cherie’s foundation and legal practice are separate from that institute. Their organisations should not be treated as a single body merely because the founders are married.
Cherie Blair remains the wife identified in Tony’s current public biography. There is no new marriage announcement in the sources reviewed that changes that answer.
The enduring facts are a marriage beginning in 1980, four children and two distinct public careers. Cherie’s own professional record explains why her story extends well beyond her husband’s time as prime minister.
